Price-hike to be tackled after judges' restoration

LAHORE- President of Supreme Court Bar Association, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has announced to fight the most serious issue of price-hike through the Supreme Court after non-functional judges at the head of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry are restored to the office.
Addressing at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, (SCBA) to celebrate ‘Freedom of Judiciary Day’ in connection with July 20,2007 restoration of Justice Chaudhry by a 13-member Bench of the SC here on Monday, Barrister Aitzaz depicted a highly painful picture of the common-man outlined by his sufferings from the price-hike in petroleum goods, gas, utility bills, CNG, flour and other food items, etc. and announced to stand up against miseries of the poor. Aitzaz said that after restoration of the deposed judges to the office, his Bar would, as first duty, move a constitutional petition before the Apex Court to seek relief for millions of Pakistanis against the upsurge of the prices of necessary items.
He said his party, PPP, was in power and he wanted it to stay on and deliver to the cause of public welfare but the poor were being badly discriminated. The restoration of judges, he maintained, would check this discrimination so much so nobody would dare deprive the poor of what they needed to sustain the life. Rejecting the judiciary under Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, he said, the present judiciary did not hold mettle to call to account the responsible for the present price-hike and to know from them how much profit they were earning and where they were dumping the goods when the people were starving.
Barrister Aitzaz said the countrywide lawyers had set a deadline of August 14 for the restoration of judges failing which, he added, the National Coordination Council would meet and finalise the protest programme in the fourth phase of the lawyers’ movement and that could also include sit-in before the Parliament, long march and even civil disobedience. He said after August 14, Bars throughout the country at their respective level, may be called to hold a two-hour sit-in at any central place, including GT Road, on every Thursday while the sit-in may be converted into a continuous protest in order to press revival of the November 2 judiciary. Lawyers’ movement, he said, was totally peaceful and non-violent but that must not be under estimated. He said the countrywide sit-in protest would be far more effective than the long march.